Nearby Theaters

The Towne Theatre became High Point’s first-ever ‘Lounging Chair Seating’ cinema, not to mention the town’s first suburban theatre. Located behind the K-Mart Shopping Center at the intersection of N. Main Street and E. Parris Avenue. The Towne Theatre was High Point’s most modern ultra design in architecture throughout. The Towne Theatre featured full stereophonic sound along with an ultra modern concession stand not to mention huge widescreen projection capable of showing both 35mm and 70mm films. As for the lounging chair seating, it was the only one of its kind when it opened, and all of High Point and surrounding areas of Guilford County loved it.

Owned and operated under Schneider-Merl Theatres, the Towne Theatre opened on February 5, 1968 with James Coburn in “The President’s Analyst”. The Towne Theatre remained a single screen cinema until the mid-1970’s when the original auditorium was split down the middle making it a twin cinema, under the new ownership of Martin Theatres.

By the time Carmike took over operations of the Towne Twin Thetaer in the mid-1980’s, the cinema went from screening first-run movies to second-run movies, becoming a discount house until it was closed in the late-1990’s.

According to Bowers' “Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments” page 551, there was a “American” theatre in High Point equipped with a Reproduco organ made by the Operators Piano Co. I could not find a page for the American, so I am putting this here for the time being.

kencmcintyre:
The Towne Theatre ran adult films? I did my extensive research on this theatre,and to my knowledge it must have been running soft-porn films as late show entries long before Martin Theatres took over in the mid-1970’s. I’m from Durham,and I know one theatre in my area,the Yorktowne showed in its entirely the explicit “XXX” rated version of “Caligula”.

The Towne Theatre opened on February 5,1968 as High Point’s first-ever suburban cinema with a seating capacity of 748 under Schneider-Merl Theatres.

Martin Theatres took over the operations of this theatre in 1975 and by 1976 it was twinned by splitting the original auditorium into two sections that seated 374 each in both auditoriums renaming it The Towne Twin Theatres.

Carmike Cinemas acquired this theatre in 1982 and it was Carmike that closed it in 1994 as a second-run dollar house cinema.

The Towne Theatre opened in the late-1960’s as High Point’s first-ever suburban theatre with a seating capacity of 748. A lot of blockbuster movies got first-run billing at the Towne Theatre including it’s general engagement showing of THE GODFATHER on March 22,1972.

Other movies played here were CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND…..and more…..